I just set the thread to "non archive".

Those old skewl Vietnam Vets were the bomb when it came to work like this.

Land nav is tricky during the day, worse at night. I remember one time doing this solo night course, way back before NV, etc. Really easy to misjudge distance. 5 of us did it, leaving a certain area at different release times, each about 30 minutes apart. I was the last one to leave. I moved through some heavy, heavy thick brush for what seemed like 2 hours but I could tell from a half ass pace count I hadn't gone but about 300 yards. There was the ever present chance of getting rolled up during the exercise also, which made it suck more. So I finally come to the edge of a clearing and I can barely see someone standing out in the open near this road. I watch him for a few minutes, he ain't moving but seems to be looking down and then back up a lot. He's lost and checking his compass. By the fact that he was so tall I figure out who the hell it was and whisper his name. He semi freaks out, then I stand up and he comes over. He  tells me he "overshoot" the rally point we were all meeting at. I told him no man we are nowhere near there, I just started not long ago- come to find out he was the first to leave. He argues with me over the fact that he thinks he has overshoot the rally point. Finally I pull him back into the woods a bit and confide that I have a map (we weren't supposed to, but hell if you ain't cheating you ain't trying!!). I show him where I think we are. He shows me where he thinks we are (waaayyy apart on the map). The area was criss-crossed with roads and we are near the intersection of a couple roads. I tell him let's sneak out to that road there and see what the road does down that way. We walk out there and the road turns left that way. The way the roads we can see are intersecting and curves and what not I show him I'm correct this is the only place we could possibly be on the map. And here is the LUP. By now it's cold AF and like a dunskie I'm wearing summer weight BDUs, coupled with sweat from brush busting, it sucks. We hand railed one of the roads about 30 yards in the brush till another intersection that shoot and azimuth to the hide. I told him "we weren't supposed to be working together. I'll hang out here for 15 minutes, you head in and keep your mouth shut." LOL

I wasn't the last one in. About 2am we had one guy still out. We called him on the radio and said "we are going to fire a flare up." We fired a flare up and about an hour later he stumbles in the hide wide eyed as hell. Course we start giving him crap cause he's last, obviously got lost, etc. You know good natured ribbing and all. We ask him about the flare and he says  " I saw the flare and started running towards it but it went out too soon."  I asked him- "why didn't you just shoot an azimuth to where you saw the flare?" He couldn't answer.

When I say people tend to lose their shit at night in the woods, this is the kind of stuff I'm talking about. Pull your compass, shoot an azimuth, double check if you have time, take a couple of breathes and then start moving towards that azimuth.

That's it right there!

We NEVER wore eye pro way back "in the day", it took a grand total of one night land nav course and everyone was scrounging for any sort of eye pro.

Right on brother Diz!

Was just doing a 4 day Reece class. Conditions were drrrrryyyy as a bone. Going through those draws where every single fallen leaf in the world seems to accumulate was crazy loud. Multiply that by 2 teams of four.

After the first go around I pointed out to the team that trying to step when the guy in front of you stepped would cut down a bit on the noise signature. On the last simulated mission I was TEC and noticed more people doing that on the patrol. Made for a good bit quieter patrol.

Few also had taped slings and knock points before class. I brought a roll of camo tape to help with that.

Too often we get caught up in the "square range" world of training and forget the practical applications of all of this sort of training. For example are you mags camo'ed or does the top of your chest rig look like a roll of Lifesavers candy? The colored electrical tape for finding/ID'ing your mags easily is nice but it can be a big giveaway in this sort of situation. Always a good idea if your going to tape them to place the tape where it's concealed when the mag is in the chest rig if possible- or remember to pull the tape off if ever necessary.

I realize the main discussion is relating to night work but these things apply either day or night. A big swath of white tape marking a magazine hanging out of the top of a chest rig is visible at night as well as during the day, movement as quietly as possible is even more important at night.